Through Carnival Mirrors
by MirellaArabesque
Summary: In an alternate universe, the bullet misses Tara. But on a Hellmouth, is it ever that simple? W/T. AU, femslash, character death, angst. Rated M.
1. Prologue

**A/N: Prologue set in season 4.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own BTVS.**

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><p>Willow Rosenberg sat, chin in hand, staring towards the front of the room in fascination. Her notes lay on the desk in front of her, derivatives and integrals completely forgotten, as she hung on to every word her Calculus teacher said.<p>

"Um, Mr. Griffin?" a male voice somewhere behind her interrupted. Startled, Willow turned around to face him as he said, "Class is over."

In disbelief, Mr. Griffin, Willow, and several other students looked to the clock.

"Damn," the teacher sighed, flipping through his notes. He was a young man, not too long out of school himself, and really passionate about math. So passionate, in fact, that sometimes he forgot he was supposed to be teaching out of a calculus textbook, and went on and on about interpretations of infinity, or the huge size of Graham's number, or, on one particularly memorable occasion, perceptions of reality.

(_"This is red," he stated one day pretty early in the year, holding up a folder from his desk. "But is the red I see the same red you see? When you look at the sky, is 'your' blue the same as 'my' blue? Don't we always describe colors in relation to other colors? So, how could we figure out if we were seeing the same colors?" He paused to let that idea soak in before continuing. "Does English sound the same to my ears when I speak it as it does to yours? When I look at Maddie's face" – he gestured to a student in the front row – "do I see the same Maddie as everyone else in this room? Or does she look different to each of us? And how would we know?"_

_His students gaped, some laughing in disbelief at the idea, others holding their heads in their hands in confusion at the possibility that what he was saying was true. Twenty minutes later, when they left the class, almost all of them were still pondering the thought.)_

Today, the off-topic concept had been even more confusing than the one about reality and perception, and had taken up over half of the class. There were several pages of notes remaining in Mr. Griffin's hands, and a moment later he set them down, accepting defeat. "Okay, we're going to have to finish this tomorrow. Got off topic again," he chuckled. "Just push the homework on your syllabus back one day. See you all Thursday."

Willow, as usual when Mr. Griffin went off on these discussions, left the class with a goofy grin on her face, the nerd in her loving the confused, overwhelmed feeling as her brain tried to process concepts too big for its design. The math-loving grin, however, was soon replaced by an equally goofy Tara-loving grin, as she saw her girlfriend waiting for her outside the classroom.

"Hi, baby," she greeted her lover with a small kiss, wrapping her arms firmly around the taller girl's waist. "Good day?"

Tara nodded with a shy smile. "B-better now. I believe you said something about t-taking me on a date tonight?"

"I guess I can squeeze you in," Willow shrugged. She laced her fingers through Tara's as they began to walk off. All thoughts of Mr. Griffin, calculus, and infinity were forgotten in the presence of her lover.

Several hours later, as they were getting ready for bed in Tara's dorm room, the thoughts came back to her. She slid into bed, waiting for Tara to join her, still marveling at the ideas Mr. Griffin had presented to them earlier that day.

"What are you thinking?" Tara's voice whispered at her ear.

Willow jumped. Deep in thought as she was, she hadn't even noticed her girlfriend get into bed next to her. "Math stuff. I mean, calculus is always overwhelming, but Mr. Griffin said some stuff today that seriously blew my mind."

Tara's eyes were closed with her cheek resting on the redhead's shoulder, but Willow knew she was listening intently. "What did he say?"

Smiling at the chance to explain, she launched right in. "He was talking about these alternate universes. Like, there are an infinite number of universes existing in this same space, parallel to each other, where each tiny little instant, each of them splits into infinitely _more_ universes. And it just keeps going on and on, and they're right here but we can't touch them or breach the gap between them."

"Um, sorry, but _huh_?"

Willow paused for a breath. "Okay. So Mr. Griffin explained it like, if there's a die and you're rolling it every infinitely tiny part of every little second. And, oh, well, the die has to have infinity sides. And whatever side it lands on represents one possibility of something that could happen in that universe."

"Okay."

"But that's not the only universe that exists. Because, at that instant that you roll the die, the universe splits up, and for each possibility on the die, you have a new universe. And then you roll the die in those universes and make _more_ new universes. So he said crazy stuff, like, there's a universe where his head caught on fire today. Or normal stuff, like one where we actually finished going over the lecture, so I'm doing homework right now."

"That makes my brain hurt," Tara complained, nuzzling into Willow's shoulder.

"Me too," the other girl admitted, "but I kind of like it. It's so cool! Plus, I already sort of knew about this stuff. There's a universe where I'm a dominatrix-slash-vampire. And also, still kinda gay."

Tara blinked. "Again, um, _huh_?"

"Long story," Willow brushed it off, "and also not as much fun as you might think. I felt violated by myself. Which was strangely hot, but mostly just strange."

"Hmm," the blonde sighed, laughing a little. "I think I get it."

"Yeah?" Willow smiled. "Isn't it cool?"

"Very." One side of her mouth pulled up in the lopsided smile that made Willow melt a little. "So, for example, there's a universe where I'm not about to kiss you right now."

"Sure hope it's not this one."

"Not a chance," she assured her lover, and then kissed her and reached for the light.


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: Here's chapter 1. There is smut, FYI. Also, if you like this, please tell me. Or tell me if you don't like it. I like feedback. =)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own BTVS and I'm making no money for this story.**

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><p>"Things fall apart."<p>

She shouldn't be here. She shouldn't be standing in the doorway to Willow's room, not when they were just starting to put things back together again. They weren't ready for this, _she _certainly wasn't ready and Willow probably wasn't either. They had barely spoken in the last few months; sure, things were starting to come back together, but it was too _soon_. It was too soon and she was too damn scared.

But, scared or not, she was there. She had been trying to study in her dorm room that night when she couldn't take it anymore. After her coffee date with Willow, she couldn't think of anything else. She missed her with a fierce, real physical pain that pulled at her chest – pulled always in one direction, towards Willow, even stronger now that her once-lover was so close to her. She was sick of playing shy and pretending to be just friends. She was the one who had left; now she would be the instigator. It was wrong and too soon and she wasn't ready, but she was here.

"They fall apart so hard."

Willow sat up, startled. Buffy had left and not come back, and Dawn was in bed. She thought she was alone in the house. "Tara?"

"You can't ever…" she hesitated slightly. Her eyes were trained on the ground, and when she lifted them mid-sentence, meeting Willow's for the first time, they were filled with tears. With a shaky sigh, she continued, "Put them back the way they were."

"Are you okay?" She didn't know what else to say. This wasn't the happy reunion she had longed for; it felt more like a goodbye.

"I'm sorry, it's just…" she seemed to search for words, then squared her shoulders and stepped into the room. "You know, it takes time. You can't just… have coffee and expect" -

"I know," Willow assured her. She suddenly worried that she had made Tara feel pressured, that she had screwed everything up.

"There's just so much to work through. Trust has to be built again, on both sides."

Her eyes seemed to be pleading, or apologizing, but Willow didn't know for what. "You have to learn if – if we're even the same people we were. If you can fit in each other's lives."

Willow nodded, trying to hide how crushed she felt. Tara didn't want her. Tara didn't think their problems could be fixed.

"It's a long, important process," the blonde continued, and Willow could barely believe what she heard next. "Can we just skip it? Can – can you just be kissing me now?"

Seated on the bed, she hesitated for a moment, waiting for Tara to take it back. But Tara only stood there, still begging with her eyes to be held, and Willow, shaking, crossed the room to kiss her without any more uncertainty.

In the first instant of the kiss they both stiffened at the intensity of the feeling. Then their hands quickly hurried to memorize each other again, moving from backs to hips to shoulders to cheeks, trying to feel everything at once.

After months of not touching Tara, Willow was overwhelmed and wanted to start undressing her immediately. But she wasn't sure if Tara would be okay with that, after what she had done, so she tried to restrain herself. She didn't have to worry about it before long, though, as Tara began to pull off her own coat.

The leather jacket hit the floor and Willow felt a tug on her shirt. She pulled back to let it off over her head and then reached around to let Tara's hair down. Running her fingers through it, she yelped in surprise when she felt her lover's fingers teasing around the waist of her skirt.

She tried to complain about the clothes she still felt between their bodies, but all she could manage was a desperate whimper as she slid her hands up Tara's sides under her shirt and pulled it off.

Tara's smile was more beautiful than Willow had ever seen it when they paused, hands gently exploring each other's faces. "I missed you," she bit her lip with the statement, and Willow gently took it between her own. Gently she sucked on the skin for a few moments before trailing her tongue over it and pressing it into Tara's mouth.

Wrenching her lips away, Tara panted, "T-take me to bed." Willow obeyed.

By the time they had made it the few steps to the bed, the redhead had somehow already lost her tights and skirt, leaving her only in a bra and underwear as she knelt next to the bed and pushed Tara down to sit on the edge. She pulled the other girl's skirt down and flung it across the room, then pressed her lips to her knees and calves as she unlaced her boots. _Wait,_ she thought, _take it slower_, but she couldn't seem to resist kissing up the inside of Tara's thighs and pressing her nose into the damp fabric of her panties.

"Willow," Tara gasped as the suddenly ripped fabric fell from her body.

"Is this okay?" she tried to check from between Tara's legs, one final precaution before leaping off the edge.

"Please."

"I aim to," Willow promised with a sly grin, and lowered her mouth once again to Tara's skin.

She was immediately overwhelmed by the amount of hot liquid already waiting for her as she drew a tongue up her slit, collecting the plentiful juices on her tongue and humming in pleasure. "You," she paused, drawing back a little to tease at Tara's inner thighs, "taste… so… good," she finished between kisses. "So good," she added a final time before ducking her head back down.

If she teased Tara for too long, she knew, then she would be in for equal teasing when their roles reversed. Besides, it had been too long. If Tara was in a state even close to the incredible arousal Willow was feeling, she would need release fast. So she immediately began to suck on Tara's clit, wrapping her hands around the back of her thighs to keep her close.

Tara cried out in surprise and one of her hands flew to Willow's head, caressing and twining into her hair. "Yes," she panted, "Please. Do that."

"This?" Willow questioned innocently. She began to use her teeth, nibbling on Tara's flesh gently.

The other witch groaned in reply, and her hips raised slightly off the bed.

"More," Tara moaned. "F-fingers. Come up here."

Willow looked up, confused. "Do you not… is this not good?" She glanced back down. From the sound and feel of things, she thought she had been doing just fine.

_Willow and her insecurities_, Tara smiled fondly. "Come up here where I can hold you."

"Oh. Okay," the smaller girl nodded. "Up here is good. You know what's up here?"

"What?" Tara laughed, stroking her hair.

"Tara-lips," Willow answered, kissing said body part. "Tara-neck." Another kiss on the soft, easily marked skin. "Tara-boobs," she sighed, with a much longer and more thorough kiss on each full breast, teasing for a while before taking the nipple between her lips to give Tara more direct contact.

"N-now, please," the blonde moaned as her fingers teased at Willow's entrance. Willow gasped and parted her legs.

"Now is good. Now is _sooo good!_ Tara!" she cried at the feeling of three fingers slipping inside her.

With a kiss to her lover's lips, Tara pleaded, "With me, Willow." Willow understood and cupped between her lover's legs with one hand, wrapping the other underneath her and around her back to hold her close. She pressed inside with one finger to let her adjust, then quickly added a second and a third. Tara was tight; she could feel every ridge and bump inside her clenching around her fingers, and she eagerly began to push her fingers in deeper with every slow thrust.

Their hips met each other in a perfect rhythm, and their breasts slid together, growing slicker with sweat every second. After the months apart, neither woman needed long.

"I love you," Tara gasped, rolling her hips forward against Willow's fingers. "I missed you so much, love, I" –

Willow cut her off with a kiss. "Shhh. I love you too. We're okay."

A tremor ran through Tara's inner muscles, strong enough for Willow to feel against her hand and shiver in pleasure. "W-Willow, I need… are you close?"

Tara's thumb pressed down harder on her clit with the question. Willow moaned. "I'm there, babe. Come with me, please!"

"Mmmmf," the blonde moaned something between their connected lips, then cried out her release into Willow's mouth. Willow followed immediately, tightening her hold around Tara to keep her as near as possible. They were pressed so closely together as they shook and thrust uncontrollably that it seemed as if they would merge completely into one. Finally they left off, trembling, and Willow rolled sideways to hold Tara face-to-face.

"Tara, I'm so sorry. I missed you so much. And I'm better, I promise. I" –

Mirroring Willow's earlier comment, Tara replied, "Shh. We're okay. I love you, Willow."

She snuggled silently against Tara's breast for a few minutes before the blonde spoke. "You tired, sweetie?"

Willow grinned impishly. "Not yet."


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: This could get confusing. Give me some feedback to let me know if it makes sense! PS I don't own BTVS.**

**Also, it will help if as you read this, think the episode "Same Time, Same Place" where Willow comes back from England and the same thing keeps happening over again. That could help with the confusing-ness.**

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><p>Tara smiled down at Willow's sleeping form. Over the course of the past few days, they had fallen into a routine of: Try to at least pretend to be helpful during the day. Return to their room, where they could drop the façade of being interested in anything besides each other. Have hours of fulfilling make-up sex that never seemed to be enough to make up for their months apart. Go to sleep at some early hour of the morning, and wake up at a shamefully late hour to pretend to be productive again.<p>

The routine was fun, especially the sex and cuddles part, but it was exhausting, Tara had dragged herself out of bed somewhere around nine-thirty, showered, and put on actual clothes, which were becoming a rarity lately. She wanted to let Willow sleep longer, because they'd had a _very_ late night, but they had nerd-fighting to do. Those boys were apparently becoming a bigger problem than they'd thought, and Warren had managed to escape from Buffy the night before.

"Willow, sweetie," Tara whispered, kneeling next to the bed and stroking her lover's hair. "Wake up."

The redhead grumbled something unintelligible and rolled to face away from Tara.

"I know you're tired, but we still have a nerd to catch. And we should probably be clothed to do it."

Blearily opening her eyes to notice the blonde's blue sweater and jeans, Willow remarked, "You're awake. And clothed. Isn't one of us enough?"

Tara smiled. "I'm going to go make sure Dawnie's up. I love you."

Technically, she hadn't said that Willow _had_ to get up. The sleepy witch rolled over and slipped back into unconsciousness.

"_Shh, sweetie, I'm right here," Tara was assuring her, or someone who looked exactly like her. Willow had a bird's-eye view of their room and the two of them on the bed. She was crying, clinging to the blonde and hyperventilating as she apparently tried to explain why she was so upset. But very few actual words were coming out._

"_Willow, shhh," Tara soothed, running a hand up her arm, massaging at her shoulder, cupping her cheek. "I'm here." She pressed a firm kiss to the girl's forehead, then started trailing her lips all over her face. Willow seemed to calm down a little, relaxing slightly in Tara's arms. _

"_That's it, love. Relax," she soothed, planting a more solid kiss on Willow's lips. The kiss and her tight embrace elicited a desperate-sounding moan from the naked redhead, who held Tara even closer and began tugging at her blue sweater._

"Willow?" Tara called out. "Are you ready to try the waking up thing again?"

"Huh?" Willow opened her eyes, blinking in the light for the second time that morning. "Oh, sorry. I was having this dream…"

The other witch settled on the bed next to her, kissing her in an effort to wake her up more. "Anything interesting?"

"Actually, I think it was a sign," Willow replied seriously; the only sign of a joke was the tugging at the corners of her mouth. "I was here, naked. And you were there… wearing… Huh. You were wearing that exact same sweater."

"I think you're just trying to get me into bed with you," Tara whispered into her ear before nipping at the lobe.

Willow smiled. "Well, what happened in my dream was this…" she reached for the hem of Tara's shirt and slowly dragged it upwards.

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><p>"<em>You think they're making up?" Willow was saying as she fished around in a drawer. <em>

_Tara, closer to the window, smirked a little. "I hope so; that's the best part."_

_Willow returned the giddy smile. Then she turned serious for a moment. "Tara, I'm so glad you're back. I... For a while there, it felt like everything was falling apart."_

"_And now it's coming back together?" Tara finished for her. "I know. You and I are here, and Xander and Buffy are making up… I sort of have this feeling Anya will come back, too."_

"_I feel the exact same way," the redhead replied, standing up from the drawer to face her girlfriend. "You totally started it. You were the first one to start the making up, so this is all thanks to you."_

_Tara smiled, opened her mouth to speak, but then there was the sound of gunfire somewhere nearby, and the window was suddenly shattered and there was a spreading red stain on Tara's blue sweater. Hot red liquid spattered across Willow's skin, and she frowned, confused for a moment before pure terror set in._

"_Your shirt," the blonde frowned in concern, and then she fell to the ground._

Tara smiled down at Willow's sleeping form. Over the course of the past few days, they had fallen into a routine of: Try to at least pretend to be helpful during the day. Return to their room, where they could drop the façade of being interested in anything besides each other. Have hours of fulfilling make-up sex that never seemed to be enough to make up for their months apart. Go to sleep at some early hour of the morning, and wake up at a shamefully late hour to pretend to be productive again.

The routine was fun, especially the sex and cuddles part, but it was exhausting, Tara had dragged herself out of bed somewhere around nine-thirty, showered, and put on actual clothes, which were becoming a rarity lately. She wanted to let Willow sleep longer, because they'd had a _very_ late night, but they had nerd-fighting to do. Those boys were apparently becoming a bigger problem than they'd thought, and Warren had managed to escape from Buffy the night before.

She was about to reach down and wake her when the redhead suddenly burst into tears. Tara fell to her knees next to the bed. "Willow, sweetheart, wake up," she whispered, shaking her lover gently but with some urgency. She was used to Willow talking in her sleep, but this was unusual even for her. "It's a dream, love."

"Tara," she sobbed, thrashing against her hold. The blonde could no longer tell if she was awake or asleep, her eyes were screwed shut so tightly against the persistent tears.

"Shh, calm down, sweetie. I'm here," she soothed, slipping into bed and cradling her nude lover's form.

"Tara, you were…" she gasped between sobs and held Tara so tightly it hurt to breathe. "You were… there was blood, and the window, and you… we…"

"Shh, sweetie, I'm right here," Tara assured her. She continued crying, clinging to the blonde and hyperventilating as she apparently tried to explain why she was so upset. But very few actual words were coming out.

"Willow, shhh," Tara soothed, running a hand up her arm, massaging at her shoulder, cupping her cheek. "I'm here." She pressed a firm kiss to the girl's forehead, then started trailing her lips all over her face. Willow seemed to calm down a little, relaxing slightly in Tara's arms.

"That's it, love. Relax," she soothed, planting a more solid kiss on Willow's lips. The kiss and her tight embrace elicited a desperate-sounding moan from the naked redhead, who held Tara even closer and began tugging at her blue sweater.

"Honey, I'm not sure if we should…" she was cut off with a firm kiss that, after a few seconds, caused both of them to moan. When they pulled back, Willow's eyes were still filled with tears and she didn't need to speak to convey how much she needed to feel close to her lover. "Okay," Tara nodded. "If you're alright."

"It was a dream," Willow shook her head emphatically as if to dispel all thoughts of it. "We're fine now." And she barely even noticed, as Tara's blue sweater hit the floor, that it was the same one she had just seen in her dream, with a dark, blossoming stain.

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><p>"Hey, clothes!" Willow exclaimed, obviously proud of herself for leaving the bed long enough to drag on the white shirt and pair of jeans she was currently wearing.<p>

Tara smirked. "Better not get used to 'em."

"Yes, ma'am." But clothes could be useful, such as the little belt loop on Tara's waist that she used to drag her close for a kiss. It was chaste and loving, and after a few moments they pulled their lips away and rested in a comfortable embrace.

"Xander," Tara suddenly remarked, and went to look out the window.

Willow laughed. "Okay, not _quite_ the response I was fishing for," she teased while she headed towards the chest of drawers.

"No," she corrected, pointing out the window, "He's here."

"You think they're making up?" Willow asked as she fished around in a drawer.

Tara, still at the window, smirked a little. "I hope so; that's the best part."

Willow returned the giddy smile. Then she turned serious for a moment. "Tara, I'm so glad you're back. I... For a while there, it felt like everything was falling apart."

"And now it's coming back together?" Tara finished for her. "I know. You and I are here, and Xander and Buffy are making up… I sort of have this feeling Anya will come back, too."

"I feel the exact same way," the redhead replied, standing up from the drawer to face her girlfriend. "You totally started it. You were the first one to start the making up, so this is all thanks to you."

Tara smiled, opened her mouth to speak, but then there was the sound of gunfire somewhere nearby, and the window was suddenly shattered and there was a spreading red stain on Tara's blue sweater. Hot red liquid spattered across Willow's skin, and she frowned, confused for a moment before pure terror set in.

"Your shirt," the blonde frowned in concern, and then she fell to the ground.

"Tara?" Willow cried out, and then she ran to her.

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><p>"Better now?" Tara asked lazily as she held Willow tightly, gently caressing as much skin as she could reach.<p>

Willow smiled, the fear from her dream completely forgotten. "Perfect," she sighed.

"And the fact that you once again have me naked in your bed has nothing whatsoever to do with that?" Tara smirked.

"Maybe," the other witch replied with a giggle. "I'm sorry, I know I got weird. That dream just… really scared me. I needed to feel you."

"Well, I'm here. Available for feeling at any time."

Humming happily, Willow snuggled closer into Tara's side.

"What did you dream about?" the blonde asked after a few minutes of comfortable silence.

Willow shivered at the memory. "We were in this room, just talking, and you got" –

A loud explosion and the sound of shattering glass filled the room, and both girls' heads turned to where a bullet was now embedded in the wall.

"Shot," Willow finished with wide eyes.


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: So, basically, dreams/visions are in italics and line breaks switch between universes. But you guys are smart, you got it. =)**

**Drop me a review. PS I don't own the characters or some of the dialogue in this story.**

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><p>(Willow shivered at the memory. "We were in this room, just talking, and you got" –<p>

A loud explosion and the sound of shattering glass filled the room, and both girls' heads turned to where a bullet was now embedded in the wall.

"Shot," Willow finished with wide eyes.)

"Oh," Tara said flatly, nodding. Her tone sounded as if Willow had just told her it was a nice day outside, while her face revealed every ounce of panic she was feeling.

For a moment neither woman said anything else, not wanting to acknowledge what they knew was true. Finally Willow spoke.

"Tara, I think… I think that was a… prophecydream," she finished in a rush. "I think you were… oh, God…" What little color was left suddenly drained from her face and she clutched at Tara's arm with fingers hard enough to bruise. "I think it was supposed to hit you."

The other witch took a deep breath. "Come on, Willow, just relax. I'm sure you're just" –

"No, Tara. You were standing right here." She flung herself out of bed and ran to the spot where her lover had been standing in her dream, apparently unconcerned at the possibility of more bullets entering the room, gesturing towards the hole in the wall. "Look, it makes a perfect line. Baby, it would have hit you."

"Willow, I don't think it's a good idea to stand by the window right now," she soothed, as if trying to catch and help a wounded animal, approaching her slowly. "Come back to the bed, and let's sit down."

On the way back to the bed Willow noticed the blue shirt lying on the floor, where it had landed when she pulled it off of Tara and flung it away. The one Tara had been wearing in her dream as the blood stain spread. "Oh, Goddess," she whispered, and burst into tears again.

"Come on, sweetie, just calm down for me," Tara breathed as she sat them both down on the bed. Even as she tried to comfort Willow, Tara herself was trembling fiercely and her heart seemed to be trying to shatter her ribcage – apparently her body believed without a doubt what her head was fiercely trying to deny. Hoping Willow wouldn't notice her shaking hands, she stroked her hair and held her as her mind struggled with the overwhelming fear she felt.

If Willow hadn't had the nightmare, then Tara wouldn't have gotten back in bed. They wouldn't have been lazing around when the gun went off, they would have been getting ready for the day. Tara would have been standing in the middle of the room.

_The bullet would have hit her._

It was crazy, she thought, there were so many places in the room she could have been standing and escaped the bullet's path. But a part of her knew better. If Willow had dreamt it so realistically, it was probably supposed to happen in some way. That seemed to be how dreams on the Hellmouth worked.

She was so absorbed in comforting her girlfriend and gaining control over her own erratic breathing that she didn't even think to question where the bullet had come from.

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><p>"Tara?" Willow cried, already choking on her words as tears formed in her eyes. She knelt, gently rolled Tara to face her. The blonde's eyes were closed. "Baby?"<p>

She didn't respond. No. _No_. This couldn't be happening. Not now, not when everything was so right again. "No," Willow cried, holding her gently in her lap, rocking with the force of her sobs. She was warm. Tara was warm; that was good, right? But she wasn't answering. Willow's hand on her neck felt no pulse.

_No._

"Oh, God," she sobbed. It hurt to talk. It hurt to breathe. "No, no, please come on," she pleaded, caressing her lover's unresponsive face. "Come on, Tara. _Please,_ come on, baby…" But Tara didn't move, and Willow knew she wasn't going to.

She lifted her face to the sky, a red and black storm swirling in her eyes.

Clouds gathered in the ceiling of the room, and suddenly none of the day's bright sunlight came in through the windows. The magic coursing through made her feel like she had lifted her head from underwater just as she was out of air. It gave her purpose, a solution, something to feel besides Tara's limp body in her arms.

"By Osiris," she called, no longer pleading, "I command you: bring her back." The clouds still churned, more angrily now, but otherwise nothing happened. "_Hear me_," she demanded, voice raw, "keeper of darkness…"

A face, huge and menacing, appeared in the clouds, and at any other time she would have been terrified at its obvious wrath. "Witch! How dare you invoke Osiris in this task?"

The black pupils were almost all that was visible in Willow's eyes, and her chest heaved as she begged, "Please. Please bring her back."

"You may not violate the laws of natural passing."

Panic rose in Willow's voice, and though she was still connected to the stream of dark magic, her friends would have recognized the familiar display of emotion had they been able to see her. "How?' she gasped, staring down at Tara's still form. "How is this natural?"

"It is a human death by human means."

"But I –"

"You raised one killed by mystical forces," the creature explained. _Buffy._ "She is taken by natural order. It is done."

"No, there has to be a way!" She was sobbing so hard the words could barely get out.

"It is done," the demon proclaimed firmly, but his self-assurance in his own authority was no protection against Willow's rage.

"_No!_" She screamed, and pure, raw power poured from her throat and dispelled the demon and the clouds from her bedroom, leaving her and Tara's body in the bright California sunlight.

* * *

><p>"We're okay," Tara soothed, and it seemed like Willow was finally starting to believe her. Both women were still trembling, but the redhead was no longer sobbing and incoherent. Tara took a deep breath. "Willow, I think we need to go see what happened. Who was sh-shooting." She stood and began to gather her clothes from the floor, dimly registering the sound of sirens in the distance.<p>

"No!" Willow exclaimed, pulling her back to the bed before she could get more than a step away. "Tara, what if the universe meant for you to get hit? As soon as you step outside, you could" –

"No," the blonde cut her off. "We can't think that way, baby. What am I going to do, stay inside for the rest of my life?"

"Would you do it? If it meant you lived longer?" Willow was completely serious.

"Sweetie, I love you, and I love being alive, but that's ridiculous. If the universe is out to get me now, then the ceiling could just cave in and kill me now." She didn't miss the nervous flicker of her lover's eyes upwards. "_Willow_," she sighed, taking her hands, "If the universe really meant for me to die, I would be dead. But we need to figure this out."

"Can't we just…"

"Willow," she cut her lover off once again, this time with a kiss. "We're okay."

"I – I get what you're saying about staying inside forever being stupid, I do," Willow assured her. "I just… I love you so much, and I can't even begin to think about you being taken from me now, when you just came back." Tears were beginning to clog her voice again.

"I love you too," Tara promised. "Way too much for some prophecy dream to dictate when I'm leaving you. You guys have been proving the Scoobies are stronger than those since you were sixteen. Buffy was supposed to die then, remember?"

"She did die." Willow paled again. "Oh, Goddess, and then she died again! What if, what if the second time was because she was supposed to die the first time, and now she's just a time bomb, and that means you" –

The blonde kissed her yet again, more thoroughly this time since her normally babble-proof technique didn't seem to be working. "I have plenty of kisses to spare," she threatened with a thoughtful expression. "I plan on using them until you calm down."

Even at the prospect of more kisses, Willow couldn't relax. "This is serious!"

"I know," Tara agreed, now kissing the redhead's knuckles. "Which is why we have to go – oh, Goddess. Buffy." She dropped Willow's hands.

"Huh?"

"Buffy and Xander were in the backyard; that was where the shot came from."

"Oh God." The blood drained from Willow's face yet again and her eyes widened.

"Willow, we don't have time to panic, we need to go!" Tara rushed to the window, but the backyard was empty. "Will –" When she turned back, her lover hadn't moved.

"Willow?"

But Willow didn't hear her.

"_Tara?" Willow cried, already choking on her words as tears formed in her eyes. She knelt, gently rolled Tara to face her. The blonde's eyes were closed. "Baby?"_

_She didn't respond. No. No. This couldn't be happening. Not now, not when everything was so right again. "No," Willow cried, holding her gently in her lap, rocking with the force of her sobs. She was warm. Tara was warm; that was good, right? But she wasn't answering. Willow's hand on her neck felt no pulse._

_No._

"_Oh, God," she sobbed. It hurt to talk. It hurt to breathe. "No, no, please come on," she pleaded, caressing her lover's unresponsive face. "Come on, Tara. Please, come on, baby…" But Tara didn't move, and Willow knew she wasn't going to. _

_She lifted her face to the sky, a red and black storm swirling in her eyes._

"Tara," Willow murmured, her knees buckling. Tara caught her before she hit the floor.

Taking a deep breath to steel herself, the blonde lifted her lover up to support her with an arm around her. "It's okay, sweetie. We need to get to the Magic Box. Now."

* * *

><p>Willow's eyes hurt in the bright sun as she stepped out of the house. There was an ambulance there, Buffy was being loaded in on a stretcher. Xander, covered in blood but apparently uninjured, walked behind and kept talking to her, just to let her know he was there.<p>

He saw her walk out of the house and immediately noticed the blood on her body. "Willow, oh my god, are you okay?"

_It's not my blood,_ she wanted to say. "How did this happen?"

Xander struggled with the words for a moment before saying, "Warren. He had a gun."

"Warren," Willow spat and started to walk with a new sense of purpose.

"It went down too fast, I couldn't stop it," he tried to tell her, but she was speeding up, walking away.

As she turned onto the sidewalk, she grew dizzy for a moment and caught the tree next to her for support.

"_Can't we just…" Willow was pleading. She was standing once again in their bedroom, and Tara was there, alive, holding her._

"_Willow," she cut her lover off once again, this time with a kiss. "We're okay."_

"_I – I get what you're saying about staying inside forever being stupid, I do," Willow assured her. "I just… I love you so much, and I can't even begin to think about you being taken from me now, when you just came back." Tears were beginning to clog her voice again._

"_I love you too," Tara promised. "Way too much for some prophecy dream to dictate when I'm leaving you."_

Confused, pained, still a little dizzy, Willow shook her head. Whatever she was seeing, it wasn't important to her revenge.

"Hey! Will!" Xander called after her, but she didn't stop.


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: This chapter may make things a little clearer, but in case it doesn't: For those of you that are confused, this is a story about alternate universes and how, on the Hellmouth, the lines between two of these universes begin to blur. In one universe, Tara does not die and Willow does not turn to black magic. The other is similar to canon. In each universe, Willow begins to have visions about the other world. Italics signify visions, line breaks signify a switch between the two universes.**

**Hope that helped! I don't own this, Joss Whedon does. Please review!**

"Anya?" Tara called as the two pushed through the doors of the Magic Box. Since the backyard was empty, they assumed Buffy and Xander were okay, and Tara's main priority had then become getting more information about these visions Willow was having, to try to put her girlfriend's mind at ease. Willow had recovered on the way over and no longer needed help to walk, but Tara kept her arm around her shoulders anyway.

"What – Willow, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," the witch shook her head and ducked out from under Tara's arm. "Anya, we need information about… I don't know where to start. Prophecies, visions" –

"Willow had a dream," Tara cut her off. She moved to sit at the table, gently pulling the redhead with her. "She saw me getting shot. A few minutes later a bullet broke our window and buried itself in our wall."

Anya frowned and sat down with them. "You weren't in its path?"

"No, we were…" the girls exchanged a glance. "In bed when it happened," Willow finished. "But I noticed from where the bullet was in the wall, that if she had been standing where she was in my dream, it would have hit her."

"Sounds like a prediction dream to me," the ex-demon nodded. "But what's the big deal, I mean, you're not dead."

"Right," Tara agreed. "But Willow had another sort of vision, while she was awake. She saw me – dead, I guess – and she was trying to get me to wake up, and then… well, she saw her eyes go black, like they did when…"

"When she was the magical equivalent of a crack addict," Anya offered helpfully.

"Yeah. Right," Willow brushed the comment off. "And the first dream I think I could understand, but I don't get the second vision. When there was a prophecy that Buffy was supposed to die, she changed the future and that was it. I don't understand why I would" –

The phone rang, interrupting her. Anya went to answer it, and Tara caressed Willow's hand gently as they waited.

"Magic Box, how may I help you spend your money?" she asked cheerfully. "Xander? I –oh. Is she… o-okay… She's here, she's here with Tara… Yes, they're – they're okay. We'll be there soon. 'Bye." She hung up the phone, paused for a moment behind the counter, and hissed "_Dammit_!"

"A-Anya?" Tara questioned cautiously.

"Come on, we have to go," she shook her head, gesturing for them to hurry. "Apparently that jackass Warren decided to pay a visit to your backyard this morning, while Buffy and Xander were there."

Willow gasped. "Anya, is Xander –"

"He hit Buffy."

Tara's hand squeezed Willow's hard enough to hurt. "Is she okay?"

"No, she's not _okay_, she's in critical condition with a _bullet_ inside her," Anya replied with her usual tact. "He said she's in surgery or something; he wants us there."

"He's right, w-we should be there. Are you okay to" –

Willow nodded. "Let's go."

* * *

><p>"Magic Box, how may I help you spend your money?" Anya asked cheerfully. "Xander? I –oh. Is she… o-okay… I – I don't know, I haven't seen her… Yes. Of course. Wait, Xander? Could – could you please let me know when anything changes? Thank you. I – 'Bye." She hung up the phone, paused for a moment, leaning on the counter, and hissed "<em>Dammit<em>!"

At that moment the door flew open, and Willow walked in. Anya could feel magic and vengeance radiating off of her, causing the lights on the ceiling to explode one-by-one as she walked by.

"Willow –"

"Where do you keep the black arts books?" the redhead's voice was steady, leaving no room for argument.

Anya argued anyway. "Something terrible has happened, I know, but you don't have to- "

"I need power."

"Not with those books," she followed the witch deeper into the store, "I can't let you. Willow!"

"_Stop_," Willow commanded, and with a jet of purple fire, Anya was frozen in place. The dark magic books began to tumble off their shelves, flying from the upstairs section to land on the table in front of the witch.

Unable to move, Anya watched in horror as Willow walked over to the table and placed her hands onto – no, not onto, _into_ – an open book resting on top of the pile. Instantly words and symbols began to slither up her skin, over her arms to disappear under her sleeves. They reappeared at her chest, covering her face and sliding into her hairline. When she removed her hands, the books here empty, and her hair and eyes were black.

"That's better," she said in a voice deeper than her own, turning and leaving Anya alone in the shop, still motionless.

* * *

><p>"Xander," Willow called out as she turned a corner in the crowded hospital hallway and saw her friend.<p>

He turned from the window into Buffy's room and saw the three women running towards him. "Hey." A little of the tension drained from his face as he embraced them all at the same time. "She's not doing good," he added before any of them could ask.

They all looked through the window again, where nurses flocked around Buffy, trying to keep her body going as the bleeding continued. Willow felt her hands tingle with the urge to use magic to help her.

Tara could instantly feel the magic rising up in her girlfriend. "Willow, you can't. Not yet, you're not –"

"I know I'm not strong enough to use magic yet, but I have to! Tara, she's going to die."

"Come – come on, Will, why would you say that?" Xander shook his head.

"It's true. I need to help her," the witch pleaded.

"No. I will," Tara assured her. "I don't have as much power as you do, but I can still help."

With that, the shy girl pushed her way into the operating room.

"Excuse me, miss, but you can't be here," one of the nurses attempted to take her arm and lead her out.

"Please, I can h-help," she said.

"I'm sorry, but she isn't strong enough to have anyone else in her room right now."

"I can help," Tara insisted. "I can make her stronger. Give me five minutes; if it doesn't help I'll leave."

The surgeon turned from Buffy's still form. "She may not have five minutes if you don't let us get on with it."

"I won't be in your way," Tara promised. She moved to Buffy's side, took her hand, and started breathing slowly and deeply despite her growing panic. After a few seconds she began to connect her energy flow to the earth, and then direct that flow into Buffy.

"Is it helping?" she breathed after a few minutes, eyes closed and still tapped in to the earth's energy.

"Whatever the hell you're doing," the surgeon shook his head in disbelief, "Don't stop doing it."

Whether it was due to her sensitivity to magic or her deep connection to Tara, Willow could sense the flow of power into Buffy's body. The longer it went on, the more she struggled to control her own power.

"You okay, Will?" Xander asked after a while, noticing her effort.

"Fantastic," she muttered as she dropped her head back against the wall and closed her eyes.

"It looks like it's really helping," he tried to reassure her. "It probably won't be too much longer – Will?"

"Oh," she breathed, and her eyes snapped open.

_Inside the Magic Box, Willow walked over to the table and placed her hands onto – no, not onto, into – an open book resting on top of the pile. Instantly words and symbols began to slither up her skin, over her arms to disappear under her sleeves. They reappeared at her chest, covering her face and sliding into her hairline. When she removed her hands, the books here empty, and her hair and eyes were black._

"_That's better," she said in a voice deeper than her own, turning and leaving Anya alone in the shop, motionless._

"Goddess," she muttered, wincing as the hospital reappeared before her.

"What just happened?" Xander offered an arm to steady her.

"She's having visions," Anya explained. "As Buffy would say, 'it's a thing'."

At the mention of Buffy, all three turned their eyes back to the operating room, where sweat was beginning to bead on Tara's brow, and the Slayer's heart kept beating.

* * *

><p>"What happened?" Buffy groaned, sitting up slowly. She was a little achy, but otherwise had no clue why she should be in a hospital room.<p>

"Buffy!" Xander exclaimed, approaching her bed to put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Oh my God, are you okay?"

"Sure," she nodded, glancing down at the needles and tubes in her arms. "How did I get here?"

He bent down to envelop her in a hug. "You've gotta stop doing this," he joked, but his tone betrayed his seriousness. "This dying thing's funny once, maybe twice, but…"

"Willow?" Buffy asked, noticing her friend for the first time. She looked different; her hair and eyes were pure black and she had watched her two friends' interaction with little emotion.

_She was looking into Buffy's hospital room; Buffy was still blood-covered and unconscious. Tara was there, alive and well, pushing her way into the room. "Excuse me, miss, but you can't be here," one of the nurses attempted to take her arm and lead her out._

"_I won't be in your way," Tara promised. She moved to Buffy's side, took her hand, and started breathing slowly and deeply despite her growing panic. After a few seconds she began to connect her energy flow to the earth, and then direct that flow into Buffy._

"_Is it helping?" she breathed after a few minutes, eyes closed and still tapped in to the earth's energy._

"_Whatever the hell you're doing," the surgeon shook his head in disbelief, "Don't stop doing it."_

"Willow?"

She opened her eyes. "Buffy, hi," she smiled sadly.

"What's wrong?" the blonde frowned; Xander released her with a similar expression.

"I'll explain," she replied calmly. "But we've got to go."

She turned without another word. "Why?" Buffy questioned, not moving from the bed.

"It's time to find Warren."

No matter how much they protested, it seemed that Buffy and Xander were just along for the ride. Literally, apparently, as Willow used magic to jerk the wheel out of Xander's hands and pull them off the road, taking the car through desert underbrush in a wide U-turn that brought them to the edge of a nearby road.

It appeared to be empty, but Willow strode purposefully to the middle of the nearest lane.

"Willow, wait!" Buffy pleaded, barely out of the car and yards behind her friend.

"_Stay back_," the witch commanded without even a backward glance, and a wall of purple fire sprang up in front of Buffy and Xander. The wall visibly disappeared, but the magical barrier remained. A bus came into view in the distance.

Willow didn't flinch as the bus approached, even when it seemed not to be slowing down. Buffy and Xander watched with pounding hearts as drew closer and closer, finally screeching to a stop mere inches in front of their friend. She moved around to the door, standing in front of it with her feet planted firmly.

"Get out."


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: Okay, in this chapter, both scenes take place in the world where Tara is dead (I'm pretty sure you could have figured that out, but just in case). Please review and let me know what you think!**

* * *

><p>The house was silent when Dawn got home that day. Usually Buffy, still feeling guilty for trying to kill them all when she was temporarily psycho, would rush right up to the front door and drill Dawn about her day for as long as she could before the teen rushed away. But today, she didn't come.<p>

"Buffy?" She dropped her bag and jacket by the door. Her sister had been out late the night before; maybe she was taking a nap. Still, she didn't try to be quiet as she headed up the stairs to check. "Buffy?"

Buffy's door was closed, but the door to Willow and Tara's room was open. "Hey," Dawn called out as she approached the doorway. "Hello? The door was…"

She stopped. On the floor, past the foot of Willow and Tara's bed, she could see a pair of jean-clad legs. "Tara?" she questioned cautiously as she stepped closer. The girl's body was still, and there was a dark pool of blood beneath her, as if she had been lying there for many hours.

As Dawn's knees buckled, the room around her faded into white.

_When it reappeared, it was different. The bed was unmade, the room less organized, and there was no body on the floor. No blood stain in the carpet._

_The house was silent. When Dawn looked down to where she should be standing, she wasn't there; it was as if she were invisible. Cautiously she crawled towards where she had seen Tara's body, gingerly sticking out a hand to feel the area, as if expecting Tara to have become invisible as well. But she couldn't feel anything. _

_Confused, Dawn looked around the room. Tara had completely vanished. But she noticed a hole in the window to her left. Frowning, she looked to her right. There, in the far wall, was a deep hole as if from a bullet._

There was another flash of white and Dawn was back where she had been moments before, on the other side of the room from Tara's body, which had reappeared. She looked to her right, but there was no bullet hole in the wall. She gasped when she saw the broken window, and realized that the only other bullet hole was in Tara's chest.

_Does Buffy know?_ She wondered as she began to find it hard to breathe. _Oh, God, does Willow…? Why would they leave her here?_

"Tara," she murmured, almost unaware of the wetness on her cheeks. Staying as far away from the body as possible, she pressed herself against the wall next to a small table, drew her knees into her chest, and didn't move again for hours.

"He tricked me," Willow was stunned at the realization that the Warren they had been chasing was a robot. She only let the shock give her pause for a moment, though, before newfound determination flashed in her eyes. "We'll find him another way."

Buffy, released from her holding spell, tried to stop her. "And then what?"

"And then we'll kill him," Willow replied calmly.

"Okay, you need to calm down," Buffy said firmly as she grabbed Willow's arm.

"Calm down?" the witch echoed incredulously.

"Look, you're angry," Buffy stated the obvious. "I am too; there's no excuse for what Warren did. But that's – "

"He shot Tara."

Buffy stopped mid-sentence with her mouth open.

"When he shot you, he hit her too. Upstairs in my room." Willow's voice was quiet and numb, so different from the Willow they knew. As she continued, it was filled with bitterness. "I guess the last shot was the charm."

"She's dead?" Xander asked, speaking for the first time since Willow had released them from her holding spell.

"She's dead. Now he's dead too."

"Oh my God…" the Slayer murmured, shaking her head and staring at nothing. "Tara."

Xander looked sick. "Christ, Will, how come you didn't say anything?"

"Busy," the witch shrugged, and turned back towards the car.

Coming back to herself, Buffy reached after her. "Willow, stop," she pleaded, but the strength in her grasp was an order. "We love you. And Tara. But we don't kill humans; it's not the way," she insisted.

Willow shook her head. "How can you say that? _Tara is dead._"

"I know," the blonde soothed. "I know. And I can't understand… anything. Not what happened, and not what you must be going through. But, Willow," she was now trying desperately to reach whatever part of her friend might still be in this stranger, "If you do this you let Warren destroy you too."

"You said it yourself, Will," Xander shook his head. "The magic's too strong, there's no coming back from it."

Both of her friends half-expected her answer as she admitted, "I'm not coming back." She turned again to leave.

"Will, please, _please_, we'll get through this together!" Buffy lunged after her for the third time.

"We won't. Not your way!" Her voice showed a hint of emotion for the first time throughout the conversation.

"Please just –"

"No! No more talking." She turned for the last time, and once again shot a spell at her friends without even looking back. "_It's done._"

She headed down the road, and as they fell Buffy and Xander could see her stumble.

"_She's waking up," an exhausted-looking Tara murmured with her eyes closed and her head leaned back against her chair. "I can feel it."_

_In the hospital room, all four conscious friends shifted out of their various positions of boredom and worry, turning towards Buffy's still form. The witch was right; slowly Buffy began to stir, and eventually her eyes blinked open._

_Everyone moved slowly to greet her with relief without startling or hurting her, but suddenly Buffy was engulfed in a ferocious hug that put enough pressure on her wound to make white spots float in her vision, but on the plus side, in that moment she couldn't say she felt anything but alive._

"_Easy, Ahn," Xander laughed with relief. "You don't want to kill her after all that."_

_Anya loosened her hold, but didn't let go, and Xander, Willow, and Tara eventually moved into the group hug as well._

Angrily, Willow shot a stream of fire at a shrub that left it burned to ashes.

Buffy and Xander both had to close their eyes with the ferocity of their coughing fits from having the wind knocked out of them and then inhaling desert dust. When they opened their eyes just seconds later, the witch was nowhere in sight.


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: I don't own the characters or some of the dialogue (taken from the episode "Villains").**

* * *

><p>"She's waking up," an exhausted-looking Tara murmured with her eyes closed and her head leaned back against her chair. "I can feel it."<p>

In the hospital room Buffy had been moved to after her surgery, all four conscious friends shifted out of their various positions of boredom and worry, turning towards Buffy's still form. The witch was right; slowly Buffy began to stir, and eventually her eyes blinked open.

Everyone moved slowly to greet her with relief without startling or hurting her, but suddenly Buffy was engulfed in a ferocious hug that put enough pressure on her wound to make white spots float in her vision, but on the plus side, in that moment she couldn't say she felt anything but alive.

"Easy, Ahn," Xander laughed with relief. "You don't want to kill her after all that."

Anya loosened her hold, but didn't let go, and Xander, Willow, and Tara eventually moved into the group hug as well.

For a few minutes, Buffy enjoyed the feeling of consciousness and her four friends' arms around her, but finally the pain caused by even their slight burden on her chest made her want to pull away. "Guys, I love you, but _ow_," she croaked helplessly underneath them.

"Sorry," the four chorused, immediately taking a few steps back. Xander and Willow leaned up against the wall underneath the television, and Anya curled up on the cushions on the windowsill. Tara, weak from the hours of energy work she had done for Buffy, returned to her chair.

The Slayer noticed the blonde witch's faintness immediately. "Guys, you don't have to, like keep maximum distance. And Tara, are you okay? What's wrong with you?"

"It's nothing," she started to murmur, but Willow stopped her, coming to stand beside her girlfriend's chair.

"She saved your life, Buffy. You… weren't doing very well, and she came in here and helped the doctors. She fed energy into you from the earth so you would be strong enough to handle the surgery."

"Seriously?" the Slayer asked, staring at the other blonde. She knew Tara had been studying magic her whole life, but she would never have imagined she had that kind of power. "Wow, Tara… 'Thank you' doesn't begin to cover it."

"I-it was nothing," Tara shook her head. "Buffy, Warren got away."

"Well, that sufficiently killed the 'yay, I'm alive' mood," Buffy jokingly complained. Then she turned serious. "Any idea where he is?"

"Anya and I can do a locator spell," Tara offered. Willow tried to mask the twinge of jealousy she felt. While she loved being back with Tara, she missed being her spell partner in addition to her girlfriend.

"We'll have to go get supplies, though," Anya added. "Should we go now?"

"Wait," Xander butted in. "What are you going to do when you do find him? Buffy needs to be the one to catch him; what if he goes all big with the mojo again? And no offense, Buffy, but you're pretty much out of commission for the violence."

"How dare you insult my bullet wound," the Slayer pouted sarcastically. "Xand, I know I'm not going to be fighting any time soon. Tara, could you do any sort of spell to hold him if you find him? Or better yet, incapacitate him from a far, safe distance? I don't want you guys getting hurt."

"I- I don't know," she hesitated. "I don't really think I'm strong enough for that sort of thing. That was more at W-Willow's level…"

At the mention of the redhead, all four pairs of eyes turned to her, noticing that she hadn't been participating in the conversation. She was sitting stone-still in the chair next to Tara's, eyes wide and unseeing.

_In some wide desert, on a lone highway, someone who looked like Willow was turning away from her friends and heading back towards the car. _

_Coming back to herself, Buffy reached after her. "Willow, stop," she pleaded, but the strength in her grasp was an order. "We love you. And Tara. But we don't kill humans; it's not the way," she insisted. _

_Willow shook her head. "How can you say that? _Tara is dead_."_

"_I know," the blonde soothed. "I know. And I can't understand… anything. Not what happened, and not what you must be going through. But, Willow," she was now trying desperately to reach whatever part of her friend might still be in this stranger, "If you do this you let Warren destroy you too."_

"_You said it yourself, Will," Xander shook his head. "The magic's too strong, there's no coming back from it."_

_Both of her friends half-expected her answer as she admitted, "I'm not coming back."_

"I'm going to kill him," she murmured in soft realization as she came back to herself.

"Willow?" Tara asked cautiously. "Are you okay?"

She nodded, then shook her head as if to clear it. "I'm fine. You should go with Anya to do the spell. Xander and I can stay here with Buffy. We just need to get him locked away before anything else bad happens."

Tara kissed Willow on the forehead softly before heading out the door with Anya right behind. The three friends were left in the hospital room, their sense of relief even greater now that they could feel like the Scoobies were doing something about Warren.

"So, Will," Xander broke the comfortable silence, "Visions."

* * *

><p>Willow seated herself silently on the floor of Tara's old dorm in Stevenson Hall. She tried not to let herself look around and become absorbed in the memories; focusing instead on the task at hand, she spread her white shirt on the floor, bloodstained side down.<p>

"Blood of the slain," she said calmly, almost tiredly, "Hear me. Guide me to Tara's killer."

The barest hint of tears gathered in her eyes as she watched a map appear on the white fabric. _Blood of the slain. Tara's killer._ Phrases she didn't want to have to think about.

But no, she couldn't waste time now on wishing it hadn't happened. Tara was gone. Now she had to find Warren. Now she had to concentrate on her revenge.

Her eyes traced the glowing spot on the map, betraying no more emotion.

* * *

><p>"Wow," Xander sighed after Willow finished telling her friends about the four visions she had had throughout the day. "I don't know about you guys, but this sounds like a Giles situation to me."<p>

"And we should probably mention that Warren shot Buffy," Willow added. Since realizing that Buffy was going to be fine, and unloading the burden of her troublesome visions to her two oldest friends, she was feeling a little better about the situation. Tara and Anya were more than capable of subduing a loser like Warren, especially when Buffy's slayer healing would get her back on her feet in no time.

"Oh, no," Buffy groaned, covering her face with her hands. "He's going to cluck his tongue and clean his glasses and be all 'I told you so'."

"He told you the nerds were going to shoot you?" Xander asked, surprised.

Buffy laughed a little despite herself. It felt good to laugh. "I just mean that I haven't been big with the responsibility this year. And as far as that goes, he definitely told me so."

"He told me a lot of things so too, Buffy," Willow sighed. "I think we just have to focus on fixing it. If I'm seeing what could have been…" she shuddered. "Losing Tara and losing myself to the magic again… I'm gonna be way more thankful for her now, and even more careful with magic."

The Slayer nodded. "I know what you mean. I'm totally going to… well, I'll probably never _obey_ Giles' advice, but I'll, you know, listen to it now. Take it into consideration."

"Buffy, I think you're avoiding the actual calling Giles part," Xander pressed.

"Dammit," she sighed. "When did you get smart?" A moment later she added, annoyed that she had to ask, "Could someone get me a phone?"

As soon as Xander had handed over his cell phone, not even stopping to complain about the long distance, Buffy dialed. "Hey, Giles," she said cautiously a few moments later. "Um, like one a.m.? … Right. Sorry, I know, but it's really important. I got shot… Obviously I'm fine, Giles… Yeah… It was Warren. Tara and Anya are trying to find him; Xander and Willow are here with – _oh shit._" She pulled the phone away from her ear for a moment. "Guys, have you heard from Dawn?"

"Okay, sorry, Giles. Minor crisis here… _Dawn!__"_ the blonde exclaimed when her sister miraculously appeared in the doorway on cue. "Well, that was easy. Crisis averted, Giles… Yeah, we're all okay and accounted for now… No, Willow has something to tell you! … Oh, get over it, this is important. You can sleep later."

She handed the phone to the Wicca and then held out her arms to her sister. They began to bicker almost immediately, even as they clung to each other in a tight hug that made Buffy a little worried that she would pop a few stitches.

"Hey, Giles," the redhead was saying nervously into the phone at the same time. "So, um… I guess I've been having these sort of visions… Of me and Tara… except Tara dies… Yeah, she gets shot… And then I… sort of go evil again… and I guess, in these visions that I'm… planning to kill Warren… _No! _No, no, no planning here! Nope, the real me is totally normal and not evil and has no plans for vengeance. Well, not any that I plan on carrying out… You think so? Okay… Yeah, well, I mean, that's why we called. We didn't know… Okay. Great. Good. Thank you… See you soon, then. Bye."

Willow smiled at the sisters on the bed and Xander close by. "Giles is getting on the next plane."

**A/N: Come on - loved it, hated it? drop me a review!**


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N: Well I just keep writing this, even if no one's reading/reviewing. I hope there's someone out there enjoying it.**

**Anyways, I don't own BtVS. Also, this chapter is just set in the one world, it doesn't switch back and forth (other than in visions).**

"_If you can just sign this?" a stranger was saying to Xander, who was pale-faced and looked weak. _

"_Sure," he managed. In the Summers' doorway, he took the clipboard from the man. Dawn could see a gurney, the body on top of it covered in black plastic._

_The man took his clipboard back. "Call this number tomorrow. We'll have more information."_

"_Okay. Thanks. Thank you."_

"_I'm sorry for your loss," the stranger said. Xander nodded._

"No, no, absolutely not!" a nurse was saying harshly, holding onto Buffy's shoulders as the girl fought her way out of her bed. Dawn's eyes struggled to focus on the scene in front of her as she tried to make sense of what she had just seen.

"Buffy?" she called, but, still fighting the nurse, her sister was occupied for the time being. "Willow?" she tried.

"Yeah?" the redhead was by Dawn's side in a second. Xander was still trying, along with the nurse, to convince Buffy that a few hours was not enough time to properly recuperate from a bullet wound, but Willow had decided not to get involved.

"Uh… This is weird, but I just had a sort of…"

"Vision?" Willow supplied, chewing on her bottom lip. "I've been having them all day."

"Really?" Dawn hesitated. "Well, what were yours about? 'Cause in mine... I think someone was… dead."

The witch let out a shaky breath. "Yeah. That… pretty much goes along with what I've been seeing."

"Who? What's going on? Do you think it's real?"

"I don't think you should worry about it for now, Dawnie. Giles is coming in, and he's going to help us figure it out. For now, maybe we should stop Buffy from breaking out the Slayer strength on that nurse," Willow added, only half joking.

"Why don't you just run a test?" the blonde sighed. "I heal, like, ridiculously fast. Just _check._"

"Fine!" the nurse huffed, releasing Buffy's arms. "If you'll stop struggling like a child, I will run a test."

"Thank you," Buffy rolled her eyes and let the nurse do her tests.

"Well that's… that's extraordinary," the nurse gasped a few minutes later.

"Uh-huh," Buffy nodded. "Can I go now?"

"I've never seen anything like this in my life," she hesitated, bewildered. "I don't see any reason why we should keep you. Healing like this should have taken days."

"Told you," the blonde smirked. "So, about those release papers…"

While the nurse got the papers, Xander called Anya's cell. By the time he hung up the phone, Buffy was completely dressed and ready to leave.

"They're at the Magic Box," he announced. "Let's migrate."

"Tara," Willow sighed in relief when she saw her girlfriend leaning against the counter at the Magic Box. The blonde smiled and allowed herself to be pulled into an enthusiastic kiss.

"I'm okay, love," she murmured when they finally pulled away. She knew the reason behind the tightness of Willow's embrace, and she smiled to reassure her. "Still here."

"Good," Willow nodded. "I like you here."

Dawn let out a small squeal at their interaction, bringing them back to awareness of their surroundings. Tara blushed slightly and tucked her hair behind her ear. "Okay, so, Anya and I got the stuff for the locator spell. I can do it now if you want, Buffy."

"Yeah, that would be awesome. You guys, would you mind getting researchy about the visions?"

Dawn interrupted. "Um, would this be a bad time to add that I had one of those too?"

"One of what?"

"Visions…" she added tentatively.

"Well, crap," Buffy groaned. "Okay, yeah, well, research that too I guess. Tara? Do you want to set up in the training room?"

Tara nodded and started to leave. "Willow?" she asked, turning back. "Do you want to come?"

"Uh…" Willow hesitated, torn between unease about the proximity to magic and exhilaration at her girlfriend's apparent faith that she could control herself. _Tara still believes in me,_ she thought with pride. "Sure. But I may need to come back out here to the research at some point."

Nodding again, Tara took her hand. "I understand if you feel like you need to," she assured her. "But I know you can do it." Willow beamed as they headed for the training room.

Despite her girlfriend's confidence, the redhead seated herself on a stool in the farthest corner as Tara set up her circle to cast in. "Just to be safe," she added nervously when Tara looked up at her, obviously concerned.

A few moments later, Tara looked up again. "Okay, Buffy," she nodded. "It's ready to go."

"Wait!" Willow exclaimed suddenly, and shot up from her chair to sit only a few feet away from Tara's circle. "Sorry," she added sheepishly once she was there. "I decided I'd rather be closer. It's just too stressful and dramatic over there. Just… understand if I have to run out, okay?"

Both Tara and Buffy nodded. "Okay, Tara. Let's do it."

Buffy and Willow observed silently as the witch connected her energy with the earth's, called on the elements, and began to scatter the herbs and other ingredients she and Anya had gathered for the spell. Even outside of the circle that should have contained all of the magic, Willow was joined so closely with Tara after years of casting together that she could feel her power. It was more than uncomfortable, if she was honest, but she took deep breaths, clenched her hands into fists, and continued to watch.

Finally the spell reached its climax. In between the scattered herbs, a maze of light began to appear on the parchment Tara had spread out in front of her. It grew brighter as she kept chanting, and then flashed to fill the whole room as she finished.

When the light died down, Tara barely noticed the successful product of her spell in front of her, because Willow was unconscious.

"Buffy!" she alerted her friend to the redhead's condition. "I can't leave the circle yet," she explained, and then quickly began to disperse the elements and ground her energy. As soon as she was finished she leapt from the circle and joined her friend at Willow's side, gathering the limp body in her arms.

"I think she's okay," Buffy assured her. "Is she having a vision again?"

"Maybe. I don't know," Tara replied nervously. "She never exactly passed out before."

"Well, she's out now, for sure."

_Willow seated herself silently on the floor of Tara's old dorm in Stevenson Hall. She tried not to let herself look around and become absorbed in the memories; focusing instead on the task at hand, she spread her white shirt on the floor, bloodstained side down._

"_Blood of the slain," she said calmly, almost tiredly, "Hear me. Guide me to Tara's killer." _

_The barest hint of tears gathered in her eyes as she watched a map appear on the white fabric. _Blood of the slain. Tara's killer._ Phrases she didn't want to have to think about._

_But no, she couldn't waste time now on wishing it hadn't happened. Tara was gone. Now she had to find Warren. Now she had to concentrate on her revenge._

_Her eyes traced the glowing spot on the map, betraying no more emotion._

"Warren," Willow muttered as she began to stir.

"Willow, baby," Tara sighed, tightening her hold on her lover. "Wake up for me."

"Tara?"

The blonde nodded, relieved. "Yes. I'm here. What happened?"

"When – when you did the spell, I could feel it even though I was outside your circle," she explained shakily, eyes flickering between Buffy and Tara. "I felt this, like… explosion when you finished it, when the light flashed. And all of a sudden I could feel that same energy, but I wasn't here anymore. _She_ was doing the spell, but not with white magic."

"She?" Buffy interrupted.

Willow shook her head in confusion. "Me, I guess. The other one, the one that was supposed to happen, if we're going with the prophecy theory. I was doing black magic to make… a map. On my shirt, because it had – " she looked up at Tara with tears in her eyes " – it had your blood on it. Your blood made the map."

Tara shuddered. "A map to Warren?"

With a nod, Willow replied, "She – well, I, I guess – is going to kill him."

Buffy intervened in the conversation once again. "Guys, we have research going on with the prophecy thing. Right now we need to find the real Warren before he has a chance to hurt anyone else. Judging by the light show, I'm guessing your spell worked. Tara, are you ready to go?"

"M-me?" she stuttered for the first time in hours.

"I need you to do some kind of magical barrier thingy. If I try to hold him and talk to him at the same time, I'm either going to hurt him accidentally, or I'm going to hurt him on purpose. And as much as I'd love both of those things, he's not some demon. He's a human."

Tara hesitated.

"Can you do it?" Buffy pressured.

"I think so?" she phrased it as a question. "I don't know if I'm strong enough to hold it for very long."

"You are," Willow assured her suddenly. "I could feel you healing Buffy. Your power is… it's grown incredibly since I last cast with you."

"That wasn't me," Tara shook her head. "I was just taking power from the earth; I've gotten better at it since I couldn't rely on your power anymore."

"But the earth let you use it."

After a moment's pause, Buffy asked quietly, "Are you ready, Tara?"

The witch nodded, resolved.

"Please, Buffy, can I come?" Willow begged. "I know I won't be any help, but I… I need to be there."

"It's dangerous, Will. I know you're not helpless or whatever, but you've had pretty much the suckiest day in existence. You had to watch Tara die, and me almost die. And yourself turn evil, apparently. Why don't you help Xander and Anya?"

"Please. I need… I want to be there just in case. For whatever reason, if you can't catch him, I have access to power. Lots of it."

"Willow, no!" Tara wrapped her arms tightly around her. "You can't –"

"If it's necessary, I will. I'm still not disconnected from the stream of dark magick, baby. I don't know if I ever will be completely; it might always pull on me. If I need to, I can call it up and make sure he doesn't get away. We'll deal with the withdrawals afterwards."

Buffy paled. "Willow, you don't want to go through that again."

"If it will keep the people I love safe, then I do. My mind's made up, Buffy."

"Fine," the Slayer nodded. "But no dark mojo unless things get seriously bad."

Tara bit her lip to stop the tears welling in her eyes and took Willow's hand almost too tightly.

**A/N: Come on guys, leave a review!**


	9. Chapter 8

**A/N: Sorry for the wait. The next two chapters are written, so they should be up soon. I don't own this.**

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><p>"Willow was here earlier," Anya sighed as Xander helped her to sit at the table. Hours later, the spell that had left her frozen in place was finally wearing off. "She put the whammy on me and then went straight for the dark arts books and sucked them dry."<p>

Xander paused, hating that he had to say it. He had loved Tara and he still loved Anya, and their family was falling apart more every day. "Look, Anya, something terrible has happened."

"I know," she cut him off, saving him from saying the words. "Tara."

With a nod, he continued. "Will's out for blood, big time. We need to find her before she finds Warren." He paused again, before adding, "Is there something you can do? A, a locator spell?"

"I don't need a spell," Anya shook her head, staring straight at Xander. "I can feel her."

"Uh, you can –"

"Feel her," she confirmed. "Her thirst for vengeance, it's overwhelming."

Xander's heart sped up a little as suspicions rose, but he tried to quash them. "What, is that, like, left over from your demon days? Like a sensor?"

"No," Anya admitted. Still without breaking eye contact, she explained, "Not left over."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"When?" he managed, barely noticing as a bell tinkled to signify that someone had entered the shop.

"When do you think?" she replied, bitterness lacing her words.

Their eyes remained locked together hard for another moment before Buffy was beside them. "Hey. Is everyone okay? Did Willow –"

Anya shook her head, brushing off the moment she had just shared with Xander. "Got a power boost and took off."

"Anya's…" Xander faltered. "Anya was saying she knows where Willow is."

"A spell?" Buffy inquired hopefully.

Anya started to respond, but Xander got the words out first. "Not exactly. It seems Anya got her vengeance on again."

"Oh," Buffy repeated Xander's reaction.

"So, Willow's all wrath-y. Why don't you go to her? Isn't that your gig?" Xander asked Anya sarcastically.

"Normally I'd have to," the demon replied, for once avoiding the temptation of a sarcastic reply, "but she doesn't want me."

"She wants to do it herself." Buffy understood.

Anya nodded to her. "Yeah," she replied softly.

"Look, Anya, we don't have much time," the Slayer snapped into business mode. "Which side of this are you on?"

At Anya's hesitation, Xander added, "If you know where she is, you can help us."

With a steadying breath, she stood. "I'll help. But I'm helping Willow. She's close to him; he's in the woods."

Buffy and Xander shared a glance, each understanding how much the other hated thinking of their best friend as the villain, and hated what they had to do.

.

.

"We're close," Tara whispered, her face dimly lit in the darkness by the faintly glowing map. "He should be straight through there."

Buffy nodded. "Okay. Are you ready to get with the mojo?"

Tara took a deep breath and nodded back in reply, handing the map to Willow.

"Hey, Warren," Buffy called out cheerfully as she stepped through the last row of trees separating her from him. "Why the hide-and-seek?"

He rolled his eyes, but his terror showed through. "You think I didn't know you were coming for me? The guys at Willy's told me you weren't dead. I'm ready."

"He's been to see Rack," Willow whispered through the trees. Both she and Tara could feel the dark magic radiating off of him. Willow felt sick.

"Tara," Buffy warned immediately as she saw him twitch, reacting within a split second. But even Slayer reflexes weren't better than the Wiccan's sense of magic, and Tara already knew that Warren was preparing to use some sort of powerful magical object against them.

"_Concesso_," she said instantly, with quiet urgency, and Warren couldn't move, frozen in place with invisible walls of energy.

"Can you, like, actually tie him up? I know it's probably fine, but I'd feel better if I could see something holding him."

Tara nodded. "_Irretite_."

As vines snaked up from the ground and wrapped themselves around Warren's wrists and angles, Willow felt a surge of déjà vu. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she heard a different voice saying the incantation, saw vines bind Warren much more violently, and even in the short flicker of an apparition she could sense powerful dark magic.

"Willow," Buffy called out with concern, sensing her friend stumble, but never taking her eyes off of Warren.

"I'm fine," she replied as she tried to dispel the tingles of déjà vu running up her spine.

Warren laughed. "Ha," he said derisively, struggling against his bonds. "I'm full of power. You think I'm scared of the big bad Slayer and her dumb witch sidekicks?"

"Yeah, borrowed power. Ours belongs to us," Buffy rolled her eyes. "Now I'm sick of listening to you talk, so how about from now on you only speak to answer my questions. 'Kay?"

"How about you don't tell me what to do, and then when I get out of these bonds I won't hurt you too bad?" Warren replied.

Buffy shot a questioning glance in Tara's direction, but the witch shook her head. Warren was all talk – he wasn't getting away from her bonds. "Nah, I think I'm gonna tell you what to do. Starting with, tell me what your plans are for Andrew and Jonathan."

Warren was silent. He leered at Buffy, something that all three girls picked up on. His bonds tightened as Tara tensed. "Ow," he rolled his eyes. "But really, is that all you've got? Oh, my poor circulation. Whatever will I do?"

"You'll do what she says," Tara said softly. Willow looked at her, amazed. Even with what a total sleazebag Warren was, she never would have expected her girlfriend to be forceful towards him, especially with how reluctant she had been to bind him in the first place.

"Fine!" Warren apparently broke down, seeing that Tara meant what she said. "I'll talk."

There was a long pause of no sound in the clearing, and then he sent out a powerful burst of magic at both the physical and enchanted bonds Tara had him captured in, and throughout the clearing. Buffy, not expecting it, was blown off her feet. Willow fell to her knees at the sensation of dark magic hitting her like a wall.

Tara staggered, but her bonds didn't break. Her eyes glowed slightly in the darkness, and as Willow recovered from the overpowering feeling of dark magic, she could sense Tara's connection to the earth stronger than ever before. Even with all the panic she felt, she couldn't help but mentally acknowledge its beauty.

"Uh," Warren panted, seeing that his escape plan had failed.

"Yep," Buffy smirked as she got to her feet. "Anything else you'd like to tell us?"

He clamped his lips shut, deciding that was his best option for the moment, and started to struggle against his bonds again.

"Tara, can you do something about him? Is it possible to, like, drain his magic or something?"

"It's… possible…" she replied doubtfully. "I don't know if _I_ can."

Willow smiled. "Baby, you're glowing a little bit. You can." Tara looked down at her hands, expecting them to glow. "It's your eyes, not your skin. That would be weird," Willow added.

"Oh," she blushed. "Okay. Well, I'll try." Her energy was already connected to the earth's, and its power was already coursing through her, so all she had to do was send some of it out into the space around her and find Warren's power with it.

"He might die, Buffy, if I take too much."

Over Warren's strangled noise of panic, Buffy replied, "I trust you. And if he dies, well, accidents happen." She shrugged.

Tara didn't agree, but she continued with the transfer carefully. She recoiled at the first contact with Warren's borrowed magic, but steeled herself and gripped it firmly with hers, dragging it into the earth where it was swallowed by the immense, endless energy of the goddess. The sensation was rather like grabbing something repulsive with her thumb and forefinger and dragging it to the trash while trying not to make girlish squeals of disgust. She somehow felt that if she didn't have the earth's energy insulating her own magic, she wouldn't have been able to touch it at all.

She was able to stop the transfer and leave him at normal human strength, to Buffy's and even Willow's obvious disappointment. But at this point, he wasn't much of a threat.

"Let's take him back," she sighed, suddenly exhausted by what she had just had to do.

Warren struggled with his human strength, but between Tara's magical walls – which hadn't wavered once the whole time – and Buffy's firm grip on his wrists, he wasn't going anywhere. He alternating between begging for mercy like the coward he was, and screaming obscenities at the three girls that only made Buffy tighten her hands and dig her nails into his skin.

Suddenly, a louder scream joined Warren's.

_She was standing before that little louse, and he was tied between two trees at his wrists and ankles. Power was coursing through her, numbing the loss she felt but not the hate. He was begging, but it stirred no pity within her._

"_Please, God… I did wrong, I see that now. I need… jail. I need… But you!" he gasped with the pain as she slowly wormed her bullet deeper into his chest. "You don't want this! You're not a bad person. Not like me…"_

_She heard Buffy call, and she could feel her friends approaching. Maybe she should get it over with. But it was so fun to listen to him beg._

_Warren had heard her friends as well, and tried to use them as his escape now. "When you get caught, you'll lose them too. Your friends," he was barely coherent now. The bullet was still moving through his chest, even more slowly now. You don't want that. I know… You're in pain but –"_

_She stopped. He knew nothing about pain. In his last seconds, maybe he would begin to understand._

"_Bored now," she replied, and the air was filled with the stench of flesh._

For the second time in as many hours, Willow slumped to the ground.


	10. Chapter 9

**A/N: I don't own BtVS. Here is Chapter 9.**

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><p>Willow was standing before that little louse, and he was tied between two trees at his wrists and ankles. Power was coursing through her, numbing the loss she felt but not the hate. He was begging, but it stirred no pity within her.<p>

"Please, God… I did wrong, I see that now. I need… jail. I need… But you!" he gasped with the pain as she slowly wormed her bullet deeper into his chest. "You don't want this! You're not a bad person. Not like me…"

She heard Buffy call, and she could feel her friends approaching. Maybe she should get it over with. But it was so fun to listen to him beg.

Warren had heard her friends as well, and tried to use them as his escape now. "When you get caught, you'll lose them too. Your friends," he was barely coherent now. The bullet was still moving through his chest, even more slowly now. You don't want that. I know… You're in pain but –"

She stopped. He knew nothing about pain. In his last seconds, maybe he would begin to understand.

"Bored now," she replied, and the air was filled with the stench of flesh.

"Oh my god," Xander breathed, staring on in horror.

Buffy was equally shocked. She really hadn't believed her friend, sweet, shy Willow that she'd known for years, could have done it. "Willow, no – what did you do?"

Willow didn't hear.

_"Willow, it's alright," Tara was kneeling over her. This vision was different. Instead of looking down on some other version of herself, Willow was _within_ herself, trapped inside this other Willow's body. _

_It hurt to look up at Tara; she had to strain to crack her eyelids. When she tried to breathe, it felt like someone heavy was sitting on her chest. She gave up trying to look around, and breathed shallowly with her eyes shut. The ground below her was damp and soft; she guessed that she was in the same forest that she had just been standing in._

"_Everything's okay, it wasn't real. Come on, baby, I'm here, wake up for me," Tara pleaded. Her soft cool hands caressed Willow's face._

_The pain was real, even if she knew the situation wasn't. Her ribs ached and her throat burned with every breath. Still, even with the pain, _this_ Willow had Tara, and as the dark witch felt reality pulling on her, she was unwilling to go._

With a noise of fury at being returned to a reality without Tara, and the confusion of these images that kept returning to torture her, Willow sent a burst of flames to reduce Warren's corpse to ashes. "One down."

* * *

><p>"Are you sure you don't want me to carry her, Buffy?" Tara asked anxiously. She still had Warren magically bound and walking a few feet in front of her, but she was secure enough in her power that she felt confident she could carry Willow at the same time.<p>

Buffy shook her head. "Faster this way," she replied, cradling the barely conscious and completely incoherent redhead in her arms. "We'll be back before too long, and then I'll take over for Warren and you can take care of her."

Tara didn't like not being close to her girlfriend when she clearly needed her, but she agreed with Buffy, and she really didn't want Warren to get away. Still, even more than that – and she knew it was selfish – she just wanted to get to the bottom of these visions Willow was having, and she wished she could make it her first priority.

"Almost there, Willow," she heard Buffy soothe the other girl, and what she said was true. They were nearly to the edge of the woods, and the Magic Box wasn't too far into town even on foot. "We'll be there soon, and then we can figure this all out. It's okay." She continued to murmur to her friend the rest of the way there. Luckily, by that point Warren had pretty much established that there was no way he was escaping this, and he had remained mostly silent. Tara remained wary, though; she was taking no chances. The sooner they got Warren to a safe place, the sooner they could focus on Willow's visions.

Finally they arrived at the Magic Box. Xander, Anya, and Dawn were still there researching, though they hadn't found anything important. Anya set out a couple of blankets on the counter and laid Willow there while Buffy and Tara took care of Warren.

"We should tie him up where we can see him," the Slayer decided, "just in case. And then, could you make some sort of circle to contain him? Something that won't drain your energy if you have to keep it up for a long time?"

Tara quickly gathered the ingredients she would need while Buffy found some rope and tied Warren to a chair. The witch formed a circle around him with the ground up herbs, and nodded in satisfaction when she was finished. "That should work." Then, as an afterthought, she muttered, "_Dormio," _and Warren instantly slumped over in his chair. "I didn't want to have to listen to him," she admitted sheepishly. Buffy hugged her.

"I'm here, Willow," Tara was murmuring within a few minutes, holding her girlfriend's hand and stroking her hair.

"Giles won't pick up," Buffy called out as she slammed down the phone.

Anya shook her head. "It's no use, he's probably already on the plane."

"Buffy, I'm really worried," Tara gripped Willow's hand tighter. "She's not even acting like she realizes I'm here."

Crossing the room to stand next to her friends, Buffy held Willow's other hand. "She'll be okay, Tara," she smiled slightly, brushing the other blonde's hair out of her face. "Giles will be here in a few hours, and we'll have everything under control."

Tara looked back down at Willow, immediately absorbed in her again. She missed Buffy's worried glance in Warren's direction.

* * *

><p>"Anya," Andrew begged, pressed against the bars of the jail cell and staring out at the wall before him, which was quickly disintegrating. "Teleport us out of here. Please, take us with you!"<p>

Anya replied sadly, "I can't. It doesn't work that way." _Where the hell is Buffy?_

"Oh, God," the boy cried again. Jonathan next to him was silent in fear. More bricks tumbled down. "Help!"

"Right here," a voice said from behind him. His knees nearly buckled with relief at the sight of the Slayer, his former enemy. They _did_ buckle with relief when she began bending back the bars to let them out of the cell.

When Willow stepped in through the window she had created, the cell was empty. She sent a jet of magic at Anya and knocked her out without a second thought. But after that, she didn't know what to do. Buffy and Xander cringed at her scream of pain even as they piled with the boys into a cop car to escape their friend.

"Where are you taking us?" Andrew asked as the car sped away from the station as fast as Xander could drive.

Buffy hesitated, at a loss. Willow was so powerful. "We'll find someplace safe and we'll keep you there until we can stop Willow," she finally answered.

"Run and hide? That's your brilliant plan?" Andrew breathed, panic increasing by the second.

Jonathan cradled his head in his hands, moaning, "I don't believe this."

"Boys, if you don't knock it off, I will pull this car over, and you can just walk to your painful deaths from here," Xander said finally. There was silence.

Willow had to pause for only a moment at the doors to the police station before she was able to sense where her would-be victims had gone, and that her friends were still with them. Her face blank, she took off in their direction. It took her only a few minutes before she was right on their tail. Another few seconds, and she could hear everything they were saying inside the car.

"I don't get it," Jonathan shrugged, relaxing a little, as it seemed they might escape. "Willow's a witch; why doesn't she just, you know, wave her arms and make us dead?"

"Because Willow doesn't want you dead," Buffy replied grimly. "She wants to kill you."

_Oh, Buffy. So understanding, as always._

"But we didn't do anything," Andrew protested. The blonde silenced him with a smack to the face.

"I hate to admit it, Buff," Xander said quietly as the boy behind him fussed over his wound, "But Jonathan may have a point. Why isn't she right here, right now?"

Willow smirked. She could see their taillights.

"Maybe she's just getting her mojo up and running," the Slayer suggested. Then she added, "Or maybe she hasn't figured out exactly how much power she has yet… And neither have we."

Xander shrugged. "I guess we keep running, then."

"I still can't believe that was Willow," Jonathan piped up from the backseat. Willow rolled her eyes. She had no use for anything having to do with her old, mousy self. She concentrated her magic on speeding up, drawing closer to the police car by the second, only half listening as he continued. "I mean, I've known her almost as long as you guys. Willow was… you know. She packed her own lunches and wore floods and she was always… just Willow."

_Oh, really?_

The semi-truck carrying Willow barely registered the bump, but Xander's little police car certainly felt it.

"What was that?"

Xander swallowed. "Just Willow."

* * *

><p>"Tara," Willow muttered, stirring a little.<p>

"Is she awake?" Dawn looked up eagerly from Willow's laptop, which she had borrowed for research.

Tara shook her head. "I can't tell. She might be slowly coming around, maybe."

Rubbing his eyes in frustration, Xander pushed his chair back from the table. "I got nothing," he announced as he crossed the room to Tara and Willow. The blonde hadn't left the counter since they had gotten back to the Magic Box, a time frame that was now approaching several hours. She was pale and shaky, and Xander put a hand on her shoulder.

"Tara, why don't you take a rest for a little bit?" he suggested gently. "She doesn't look like she's going to wake up right now. You should sit down for a while."

"No, I…. Well, I do have to pee," she admitted sheepishly. "But I'm coming right back. I can't be away from her."

Xander nodded, sneaking a subtle glance towards Anya. He understood.

"Tara," Willow moaned again, more urgently, refusing to drop the blonde's hand as she tried to walk away from the counter.

"Willow, love?" Tara stopped trying to get away immediately, and whirled back to her girlfriend's side. "Are you awake? Can you hear me?"

Giving a slight cough, Willow seemed to force her eyes open with some difficulty. They were unfocused and bleary, but they found Tara. "Tara, we have to find them," she wheezed, allowing her eyes to slide shut again but not giving up on the message she was trying to get across. "We have to…"

"Find who, darling?" Tara cupped her cheek, wanting to cry in relief that she was awake. Still, Willow's behavior now that she _was_ conscious was worrying her.

"Andrew. Jonathan. She's after them."

"After them?" Xander looked down at his friend. With all their Hellmouth shenanigans over the years, he could never remember feeling quite so scared. Willow looked, for lack of a more optimistic phrase, like death.

"She wants to kill them. She's powerful. Angry."

Buffy, Anya and Dawn watched from their respective spots around the shop. Warren had by now awoken from Tara's spell and his eyes looked around wildly above the gag keeping him silent.

"You can't stop her, Buffy," Willow said, without looking towards her friend at all.

"Who, Willow?" Tara pressed gently, though she was afraid she knew the answer. "Who wants to kill Andrew and Jonathan?"

Looking a little clearer for the first time, at least in the sense that she seemed to know where she was, Willow opened her eyes again. She still seemed confused, though, even at what she was saying. Her answer came slowly and fearfully.

"Me."


End file.
